# hair

/ˈhɛɹ/ (US) · /hˈeə/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/hair
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. on the head

noun · CEFR A1

the mass of thin strands growing on your head.

For teachers: the collective growth of pigmented keratinous filaments on the human scalp. Uncountable in this general sense.

- She decided to cut her hair short for the summer.
- The stylist recommended a specific treatment to restore shine to her hair after years of chemical dyeing.

### 2. a single strand

noun · CEFR A2

one single thin strand that grows from the skin.

For teachers: an individual filament of keratin. Countable when referring to distinct strands.

- I found a long black hair on my white sweater.
- The forensic team recovered a single hair from the upholstery, which provided enough DNA for a definitive identification.

### 3. animal fur

noun · CEFR B1

the coat of an animal, like a dog or a cat.

For teachers: the collective integumentary covering of a non-human mammal.

- The dog leaves white hair all over the sofa.
- Certain breeds of cattle have developed a thick, oily hair to protect them from the harsh mountain climate.

### 4. a tiny distance

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a very small distance or amount.

For teachers: a minute degree or narrow margin; often used in the idiom 'by a hair'.

- The car missed the fence by a hair.
- The incumbent managed to retain his seat by a hair, winning the final tally by fewer than fifty votes.

### 5. plant/insect fibers

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

thin, thread-like parts on a plant or an insect.

For teachers: a slender outgrowth from the epidermis of a plant or the cuticle of an invertebrate.

- The leaves of the plant are covered in tiny silver hairs.
- Under the microscope, the stinging hairs of the nettle appear as hollow silica tubes designed to inject irritants into the skin.

### 6. to remove hair

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

to take the hair off a skin or hide.

For teachers: to strip or remove the hair from a hide or skin during processing. Transitive use.

- The leather worker had to hair the hide before tanning it.
- Traditional methods to hair the skins involved soaking them in a lime solution to loosen the follicles.

## Examples

- She has long, brown hair.
- He goes to the barber every month to get his hair cut.
- The morning light caught the fine golden hairs on her arm, making them glow against her skin.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.